PCI vs PCI-X cards??

[jmartin]

Hello
Does anyone knows if a PCI card ( intel D/41EPCI ) is fully compatible when is inserted in a PCI-X slot? (in HP ML110 server). I am trying to find more information about it both technologies are fully compatible in hardware. I had an experience where a 3Com NIC PCI card couldn't hold in a ML110 PCI slot because this NIC card havent a 'cut'in the contact edge, I have to use a Realtek PCI card to give a solution.
All answer are welcome.

 

[dakota81]

Absolutely, positively, 100% not compatible. Are you sure you're talking about a PCI-X slot and not a 66MHz PCI slot?

 

[jmartin]

Hi Dakota81
Sure. I'm not confusing between both slots type. I was surfing and found the replacement for the card my client was interested, i found the D/41JCT-LS which replace D/41EPCI card. The new card i found has the 'cut' in the slot conector (total 2 'cuts') while old card only have one.
This card is PCIU (universal).
Do you know if the PCIU is totally compatible in PCI-X bus ?? (i must install in HP Tc2120 server)
THanks for your reply.
JMartin

 

[ftechguy]

I always thought that, except for 5v cards, PCI-X slots were fully backwards compatible with all standard PCI cards.

There's a faq from PCI-SIG. See Q3:

http://www.pcisig.com/news_room/faqs/faq_20/

I think the keyed connectors are supposed to ensure that you can't physically insert a 5v PCI card into a PCI-X slot, while newer 3.3v cards would fit.

 

[dakota81]

http://www.msi.com.tw/images/product_img/mbd_img/7028Pv1.0B.jpg

Those two itty bitty slots are the pci express slots, isn't that what PCI-X stands for?

 

[dakota81]

I appologize if I am mistaken, though I have seen that terminology used in a lot of different places by a lot of different people.

 

[tf1]

You will only guarantee compatibility if you use a Compaq PCI-X NIC. Expensive, but at least you know it will work.

We had similar problems to you because we needed additional serial ports and we only found one source of a PCI-X serial port cards - fortunately guarantees compatibility with Compaq and IBM severs. All other cards we tried either fell out, didn't fit or were incompatible (BSODs).

Regards: tf1

 

[tf1]

For Dakota81

PCI-X and PCI-Express are two toally different animals. PCI-X is an advncement on standard PCI: they take PCI up to 64-bit wide, 133MHz bus - a significant boost when using high end RAID array controllers or need NICs with huge throughputs.

Regards: tf1

 

[Freestone]

This sums up the frustrating naming terminology pretty well:

http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?article=308

 

[tf1]

I agree. As soon as I read about PCI-Express I thought it would be confused with PCI-X.

tf1